The first 85 students accepted into Marial Bai secondary school in May 2009. Since then, 175 more students have joined the school. Achak Deng hopes to eventually have 500 pupils learning at Marial Bai school.

Some of the first girls to board at Marial Bai secondary school. Two female dormitories have been built so that at least 100 women can stay at the school and be free from household chores and obligations. There are now 22 girls studying at the school.Photograph: Sarah Morrison

Reading in 'prep time' after dinner. According to a 2006 Sudan Household Study, the literacy rate among women in southern Sudan aged 15-24 was just 2.5%, compared to 56.4% for women in the north.Photograph: Sarah Morrison

Male students sitting down in their lunch break, after having cut the grass around the grounds of the school. The huts in the background are the type of houses that the community in Marial Bai live in. Photograph: Sarah Morrison

Here, Achak Deng is trying to get water out of the borehole on the school site. The borehole releases dirty water, but the students use it because they have no clean water alternative.Photograph: Sarah Morrison

3 Kenyan teachers that Achak Deng hired in May 2010. While he encourages southern Sudanese teachers to apply for positions at the school (and he has five), there are very few trained southern Sudanese teachers available. Photograph: Sarah Morrison

Elizabeth Alakiir Akoon, 19, is from Marial Bai and was one of the first girls to enrol at the school. She has a 7-month-old daughter called Mary Adhel, who she leaves at home with her mother every day to attend class. She wants to complete school so that she can become a nurse. Photograph: Sarah Morrison

Two students in form 1C, Andrea Yai Akech, 20, and Gabriel Dut Garang, 18. They are studying chemistry. Like the other students, they have brought their own chairs with them to class. Photograph: Sarah Morrison

Primary school age children. According to the government, 48% of students are enrolled in southern Sudan's primary schools. They estimate that around 12% of children finish primary education. Save The Children puts this figure closer to 2%.Photograph: Sarah Morrison